


Devil of the Red Spring 2: The Price of Sacrifice

by LadyAbernathyWordsmith



Series: The Uchiha Chronicles [12]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Actors, F/M, Fame, Hollywood, Post-Canon, Suna Village
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 05:09:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11410872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAbernathyWordsmith/pseuds/LadyAbernathyWordsmith
Summary: Suizen is finally on his way, to his real dream of being an actor! Unfortunately, it seems like the world just doesn't want him to escape the life of a Shinobi. As Sasuke and Sakura's son, he had greatness guaranteed in his name as a Ninja, can he escape their shadow as an actor?Sequal to Devil of the Red Spring.





	1. Chapter 1

“Tch, idiot.” A young raven haired youth scoffed, looking away from the blonde as if his mere presence was disgusting. “Don’t drag me down, and tell it to pinky too. Whatever her name is.”

“Bastard.” Grumbled the blonde, turning away with a huffy pout. “Seriously, pull that damn stick out of your ass…”

Distantly, another was watching the exchange with a slightly sour look on his face. _‘Seriously? Papa might’ve been an ass, but he wasn’t insulting Mama right out of the gate.’_

“Cut!” The director shouted, and the pair gravitated back towards one another, pulling scripts out of their pockets to talk about the next lines before the angle was set up.

“Akuma-kun~! Getting in some pointers from Kurasuwa-teme?”

He turned to look, and saw the female lead. She was far shorter, just below his shoulder, with platinum blonde hair that had been dyed a pastel pink, close but not quite the right shade, wearing a familiar qipao that was slightly baggier in certain places to hide her blooming figure, to make her seem younger than her actual 14 years.

“Sakura-san,” Akuma nodded slightly in her direction, leaning against the metal railings that separated the ‘stage’ from the rest of the productions’ space. “Not particularly, the dialogue seems kinda iffy to me.”

“What? Is our local history buff not satisfied?” She said with a slight smile, leaning against the railing with him. “Well, what would Lord Uchiha say to Nanadaime-sama?”

“Proooobably something like…” He turned to face her, talking to her directly. He fixed her with a blank stare, cold but not hostile. “Just don’t get in my way, I have better things to do than carry a team with someone so worthless.” He said as he walked past, not even looking at Sakura as he did.

“Oooh~!” The girl shuttered slightly, arms going to hold her elbows as she hopped from foot to foot. “So cold, I got chills Akuma-kun~!!”

He turned back fully to face her, a smile on his face. “Ah, seriously? You’re so easy to impress sometimes, Sakura-san.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault I’ve found a world class talent who isn’t facing the camera!!” She sighed dramatically, swooping slightly as she spun on her heel. “Really, the casting directors are idiots. You should be Sasuke-sama! Not that jackass.”

“Kurasuwa isn’t so bad.”

“He only got the part because his Dad’s friends with the director.” She said, starting to walk away and clearly expecting Akuma to follow, which he did. “Seriously, all this insider junk only results in bad movies. If Kurasuwa had any respect for the stage or for the history, he’d quit before we get anything substantial done.”

“Half the movie is already made, and production and design is already underway for the second movie and the TV show directly after.” Akuma reminded her as he walked not a full step beside her.

“Don’t care. Things can always be edited and dubbed over. I’d _much_ rather hear your voice, even if I’m looking at the back of his head.”

“Sakura-san.” Akuma said, his tone inviting no continued griping. And he thought all his little siblings were annoying.

“Yeah, yeah.” She said dismissively, waving him off slightly. “Anyways, Mister History Buff, mind helping me run lines?” Sakura asked as she took a bottle of water from a table, going towards a relatively empty space in the sound-stage.

“Shouldn’t you be doing that with your castmates?” He asked curiously, following her as he took one himself.

“It’s easier when I’m looking at you.” She told him, pointing up at his face. “I can imagine you when I’m with Kurasuwa.”

“Was that a love confession?” He asked, half-joking as they stopped walking.

“Don’t tell anyone, or else my rabid fans might eat you alive.”

“You know I’m engaged, right?”

“At fourteen? Bah, how long can that last?” She laughed slightly, her face lighting up with laughter.

“My mom decided she loved my dad at 5 years old, and they married twenty years later.” He said, head tilting as he faced her. “She always told me that true love is instant, that once you know you know.”

“Fairy tales.” She said firmly, tossing him a script. “Start from line 16 down to line 23.”

He looked over, quickly memorizing the words. Perks of being a trained shinobi, he guessed. Document memorization was key in quite a few information gathering missions, on which he’d been on a few. “Alright, let’s do this.” He declared as he tossed the script onto a nearby chair.

“Ooh, someone wants to show off.” Sakura observed, still keeping the script in her own hands. “Fine. Ahem…” She turned so she wasn’t facing him anymore.

The girl, Sakura, got a hazy look in her eyes, almost dreamy and half-asleep, before snapping to attention. “Huh? Hey! Where did Kakashi-sensei go?!” She said, alarmed as she looked around franticly. “What’s going on? What the-!?”

Akuma stepped back slightly, one hand on one of the support beams that held up the tall ceiling of the massive movie lot as he fell to his knees, slouching as if he were injured. “S-sakura…” He gasped as if in pain, inching forward slowly on his knees.

The girl turned on her heel, enthusiastically with a wide smile on her face. “Sasuke-kun?! Is that you, Sasuke-ku-kyeh?!” She shrieked as she faced the kneeling boy, taking a step back in her apparent horror.

“S-sakura…h-help me, please…” He begged with a shuttering breath, taking a small step forward on his knees.

“Eh?” The girl stood frozen, faced with the kneeling boy, paralyzed for a moment, a tear rolling down her wide and shocked eye as she beheld his ‘bloody’ and ‘injured’ body.

“Sa…kura…” He breathed out, slowly and quietly, collapsing onto the dirty floor in front of her.

She shrieked, loud and horrifying, as if she were being stabbed through the chest. “ _AYAAAAAAAAAH!!!”_ And then fell to the floor herself, back first and audibly hitting the floor.

‘ _Well, no one can say she isn’t dedicated.’_ Thought Akuma as he moved to stand, deepening his voice slightly to say the next lines, which belonged to Kakashi, miming holding up a book as he crouched on a near-by prop desk. “Maybe I over did it, but she should have noticed if it’s real or not. For such a smart kunoichi, she certainly has a lot to learn.”

He switched back to his own voice, jumping off the desk and looking behind him, as if just hearing the scream. “That must’ve been Sakura’s voice.” He observed rather coldly, eyes darting around suspiciously.

He deepened his voice again for the next line, also Kakashi’s, easily hopping back onto the table. “Shinobi Rule number two, Genjutsu. She fell for it so easily too.”

“Genjutsu, eh? A type of hallucinatory mind-control technique. It’s no wonder she fell for it so easily…But, I’m different from them.” He said, standing and jumping onto the table again for the next line.

As Kakashi, he stood from his crouch. “Why don’t you say that after you get a bell?” He suggested to himself, walking off the edge of the table. “Sa-su-ke?”

He was about to turn and deliver the next line as Sasuke, when he saw the fist flying for his face, going for an uppercut.

On complete instinct alone, he raised his hand, open palmed and redirected the fist to the opposite side of his head, stepping in towards the larger, taller person and punching at their stomach, making them hunch over in pain. Their head near his shoulder, Akuma grabbed the arm that had been thrown at him, gripping the sleeve tight, pushing it over his head and turning so Akuma’s back was to his attacker’s chest, and pulled on his arm while bending over, flipping the taller person onto the desk Akuma had been standing on with a loud thud.

“Kuh!!” Gasped the masked man as he hit the desk rather hard. “G-good job…couldn’t have done it better myself…” He wheezed, rolling off the desk.

It was Kurojiro, the man playing Hatake Kakashi. “Don’t sneak up on me like that, you idiot! I could’ve really hurt you!!” Snapped Akuma, helping the taller man off the desk and putting a green-glowing hand on his back.

“I think that might just be his pride,” suggested Sakura with a giggle. “Can’t stand being the lesser of someone eight years younger, Ka-ka-shi-seeeeensei?” She asked in a sing song voice.

“That…in the script, that’s when we fight.” Gasped Kurojiro with a slightly winded chuckle, relaxing under the other’s gentle and healing touch. “You’re the stunt double, remember?”

“He _better_ remember.” Came another, slightly higher voice. “His only talent is fighting, and there’s no use for being such a damn barbarian these days.”

Akuma didn’t have to look up, knowing Kurasuwa’s voice. “I knew my place in Konoha, I know my place here.” He said simply. “If there is anything that a solider knows, its order.”

“Good, Sakura-chan?” Kurasuwa, looked to his leading lady. “I’m free now if you’d like to run lines with me.”

This time, Akuma did glance up at the girl. She looked like she’d sucked on a lemon, the way her face was caving in as she cringed. “Sure, I need some practice anyway.” She said, moving to walk side by side with him.

“As long as you’re aware of the need, too.” He said with a smirk, putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Nice neg, bro.” Grumbled Kurojiro, standing to his full height and stretching out. “I swear, kids back in my day weren’t so annoying.”

“Chill out, man. You’re like 24, you’re not that old.” Akuma tried to laugh slightly, hiding his worry for his actress friend.

“Tell that to my aching back.”

“It’s only aching because you snuck up on me, dick.” Akuma rolled his eyes, punching the older male slightly. “I did make you aware I was a Jonin, right?” He asked as they left the area, wandering back towards the more populated areas of the set.

“Jonin at fourteen? Forgive me if I was skeptical.” Sighed Kurojiro, walking alongside him. “Man, I barely made Chunin back at Iwa before I gave up. How’d you do it?”

Akuma shrugged slightly. “Natural talent and no other options.”

“Good looks, Jonin-strength, acting ability _and_ singing chops? Man, some people really do have all the luck.”

“I am a stunt man, Kurojiro. Not exactly in the spotlight here.”

“Only because that little twat was born in the industry. His aunt is like a famous queen _and_ movie legend or something. If you’d auditioned for Nanadaime-sama, you would’ve totally gotten the part.”

“Isn’t the entire main cast famous though? Doubt I would’ve made the cut.”

“Sakura-chan is lead vocal in a Idol group, Kurasuwa is the son of Movie Royalty and possibly Royalty-Royalty, and the guy playing Nanadaime-sama is a nobody from theatre.”

“He’s a lauded actor and stage musician!”

“Yeah, _from theatre_.”

“Geeze, and here I thought Kurasuwa was an ass. At least he has a background in acting.”

“Hey, speaking of our dear main characters; you’ve gotten close to Sakura-chan, right? Is that her actual name or a stage name? I’ve always wondered.”

“Sakura? Yeah, it’s her real name. Apparently her Dad’s from Suna and was saved by Lady Uchiha during the war. He was so grateful he named her after Uchiha Sakura.”

“It was like she was born to play the role. If I were you, I’d wanna usurp Kurasuwa just to get a crack at her. She’s super cute.”

“Pull back the creep factor, you could actually be her teacher, you know. And besides, I’m engaged to a girl back in Konoha.”

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her, A-ku-ma-kuuun~!” Sang the older man, just as the call for actors to return to set was shouted. “Whoop, there I go. Later, man.”

“You suck at being a teacher~!” Shouted Akuma as the man walked away.

“Says you~!” Kurojiro shouted in return.

Just then, his cellphone began to ring. He looked down, and saw that it was Mahiru. He smiled slightly, jogging quickly to a quiet, secluded space. “Ma-chan, Ma-chan~!” He sang into the phone, a thin smile crossing his face.

_“Hey~! Super star, how goes it?”_

“It’s…something else, that much I can say. Famous people are weirdly touchy, I don’t get it.”

_“Ah, Sakura-san again?”_

“No, Kurojiro. Sakura-san just really hates Kurasuwa and would rather have anybody else, even a nobody like me.”

_“You’re not a nobody, Suizen. You’re… **my** everything.”_

He suddenly got a little melty on the inside, making a slightly undignified deflating sound with his throat. “Ma-chaaan~!”

_“Oh, shut up! It’s almost midnight here, I’m falling asleep. Don’t look so much into it!”_

“I love it when you start doing the Tsundere! Ah…Thank you, though. You’re my everything too. I’ll be on leave in two weeks, and I’ll be back for a visit. Let’s have dinner then, on the thirteenth.”

_“Sure, sure. Just remember it’s not a date.”_

“Understood, loud and clear. Goodnight, Ma-chan.”

_“Night, Suizen. Talk tomorrow, don’t forget to eat.”_

“Yes, I won’t forget.”

And so, they hung up. With renewed vigor and serenity, he went back out onto set, waiting for the inevitable call for him to get his ass whooped by people he could snap in two with his pinkie finger.

Such was the life of an actor.


	2. Chapter 2

Two more weeks until he could go home for a weekend. Two more weeks until he saw Mahiru again! He was walking on clouds, so much so that he momentarily forgot where he was and what name he was supposed to be answering to.

“Akuma-kuuuun~!” It was only when Sakura nudged his shoulder did he return to earth from Cloud 9, remembering he was at lunch with her at some fancy restaurant in downtown Suna, though she was rather well covered and protected, both from the sun and from the prying eyes of the public.

“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry, Sakura-san.” He said, blinking his dark eyes hard, looking down at the far-shorter girl. “Were you saying something?”

“The weekend after next! Cham-Cham-Charm is having a concert in Konoha! I know you lived there, so I was asking if you wanted tickets! Geeze, Akuma-kun, you need to really sharpen your ears. I thought you were a shinobi!”

“Hey, I retired a while ago! Forgive me if I’m not all that combat ready.”

“The giant bruises on the other stunt doubles beg to differ. Anyways, should I reserve tickets for you and your wife?”

“ _Fiancée,_ and…well, I don’t know. She’s more of a classic metal listener than a modern pop one.”

“Come _on_ ~! Concerts aren’t just for the music, they’re an _experience_! I’m saving you two tickets. Plus, I really wanna meet this girl!”

“Eh? Well, alright. If you insist.”

“And I do insist.” She said firmly, looking up at him from across the table.

Akuma glanced at the time on the clock, seeing that it was nearing half-past twelve. “We should go, otherwise we’ll be late.” He said, standing.

“I’m the lead in today’s production.” She said, still sipping languidly from her overly expensive and sugary drink. “So I’m the star, it doesn’t matter if I’m late.”

“Sakura-san, I don’t do late. I’m going now, regardless of if you come with or without me.”

“Impossible, you’re my body guard!”

“I’m the stunt double you decided was your personal body guard without my consent.” He reminded her, taking a step towards the door. “I have no responsibility over you.”

She sighed, annoyed as she stood to follow him. Better to follow his schedule than risk being noticed and caught up in a sudden typhoon of screaming fans.

Halfway through the journey home, Akuma was suddenly accosted by a young woman, shorter than both him and Sakura by a significant degree. “Onii-chaaaan~ I knew I sensed your chakra!” She chimed, nearly climbing the teenager like a tree.

“Ah! Sayaka-chan! What are you doing all the way here in Suna?!” He asked, grabbing hold of the young ten year old and lifting her at arm’s length, stopping her from scaling up him like a particularly excited cat.

Not far behind her, jogging up from the crowds, was Seiji. “Fetch quest for Sara-Nee-sama.” He said simply in answer to his question. “We’re grabbing some sort of special conductive ore and hauling it back home.”

“What? Just you two?”

“No, not just us. We’re just the oxen pulling the cart home,

“Mama made sure that we’ll guards on our way here and on our way back.” Chirped Sayaka, still being held up by Akuma. “I’ll be the first in my class to complete a mission and I’m not even graduated yet! I’m so happy!”

“Any others were busy. Shi-nii was working triple shifts at the hospital and Shi-nee is gone on her own mission with some other Jonin’s to Iwa.”

“So, Akuma-kun. I guess talent really does run in your family.” Hummed Sakura-san, stepping out from behind the far-taller stuntman. “Colour me impressed.”

Akuma held his younger sister to his chest like a large plush toy, Sayaka happily returning the embrace. “I’m sorry, Sakura-san. If you don’t mind, I’d like to catch up with my stupid little siblings for a little while.”

“Of course, of course. This is your first production right? You haven’t adjusted from being away so long. I understand. See you back at work, Akuma-kun!” She bade with a smile, waving farewell as she continued on her way.

“Should we tell Mahiru-chan that another girl is sweet on you?” Asked Sayaka, looking up from her brother’s arms.

Akuma, now Suizen in the presence of his little siblings, squeezed tighter, choking her. “Say anything to her and I swear I will hunt you down and skin you like a rabbit in the woods!” He hissed, putting his little sister in a headlock.

“Please leave her neck unbroken, Nii-san.” Seiji sighed. “We do still need her for the mission.”

Suizen released Sayaka, who was grumbling slightly. “Alright, spill. What is your actual mission?”

“If you must know, a special tracking mission for Konoha and Suna.” Seiji answered, tilting his head forward. “There’s a gang of rouge nin in the area, and Suna contracted us to track them down.”

“You’re not even genin yet!”

“Yeah, but we do have the eyes.” Sayaka hummed, a smirk on her lips. “Bet you didn’t have an A-class mission under your belt before you were a genin!”

“No, I just punched my future wife and we called it even.” Suizen said dryly, poking her forehead and nearly toppling her over with the force. “At least tell me that you’re not going alone.”

“We were assigned top-level protection.” Promised Seiji. “Two teams of Suna AnBu and a Konoha Jonin to supervise.”

“Couldn’t they find an Aburame or Tracker dog to find them? A Hyuuga?”

“They said that since they’re so often mingling with large crowds, any tracker dog is going to lose their scent fairly quickly, Aburame’s can keep a thousand eyes out but having a sudden swarm in the dessert is suspicious and the sight of a Hyuuga with activated Byakuugan walking through Suna is a dead giveaway that they’re looking for someone.”

“So, what are two inexperienced Sharingan-Users gonna do?”

Sayaka shrugged. “Tail their chakra signatures, find their hideout. So far, the Suna nin haven’t been able to find squat.”

“It’s kinda sad, actually.” Seiji said, in a far softer volume. “But, whatever. We totes get massive credit after all this is done.”

“What did these guys do to get the Suna Government so pissed anyway? Are they dangerous? I could always step in instead if-“

“No, no way! You are _not_ stealing this mission from us!” Sayaka griped, her nose scrunched up. “We have everything under control!”

“They have an online presence, possible terrorism affiliations.” Said Seiji, with a shrug. “They’ve been alluding to disrupting Suna’s growing Film Industry somehow, making Movie and TV producers warry of using Suna for their stage sets in order to lose the country money and spark civil unrest.”

“Ah, I see…” Sighed Suizen. “Well, I have some advice for you while you’re on your mission.”

“Do you?” Hummed Sayaka. “Any tricks to make our eyes better for tracking?”

“No, better.” He said, grabbing the collars of their dust-coloured cloaks, pulling them close to whisper. “Don’t share details about your damn mission with a civilian.” He said quietly, before he pulled them harder, smacking Sayaka and Seiji’s heads together like a pair of clacking balls.

Both yelped in pain, falling to their knees and clutching their newly-lumped heads. “Call me when you’re done, I wanna get together and catch up!” He said, waving farewell as he made his way back to the movie lot.

Really, if they wanted to brag about having an A-class mission, they really weren’t ready for A-class missions.


	3. Chapter 3

Three days later, and Akuma was standing in front of a boy dressed much like Nanadaime-sama. It wasn’t the actual actor, just his stunt double. They were filming the fabled first fight between the two, after the Chunin Exams and before Sasuke’s betrayal, on top of the hospital roof.

They rehearsed the fight for countless days, going at half speed as the choreographer told them to instep and lean back and side swipe, and finally to set up Nanadaime’s actor on wires so they could fly down and give the first money shot, of Sasuke and Naruto nearly killing each other with sparks of electricity and the swirls of wind.

Today, they were working at full speed. Thankfully, Akuma didn’t have to suffer through the Sharingan contact lenses like Kurasuwa had to, considering his face wouldn’t be on screen. His fellow stuntman was a chunin from Waves, with naturally tanned skin and a penchant for taijutsu. He had his wig glued on, and Akuma had his hair styled and hair-sprayed so it stuck up in the back like a duck’s butt.

They would only be needed for the 1-v-1 shots of the fight where their faces weren’t seen by the camera. The massive crew of clones would be edited in during post production, as well as the Chidori and the Rasengan.

Stuntman-Naruto was being set up for wires as Akuma did a few squats on stage, chatting with the director. Apparently, the wind from a fan would blow his hair infront of his face, and then they’d bring in Kurasuwa for a close up, followed after by the guy playing Naruto. (Akuma couldn’t for the life of him remember his name. The guy had absolutely no presence offstage.)

“What about Sakura-chan?” He asked curiously. “She was there too.”

“Lady Sakura?” Asked the director, raising an eyebrow. “The script doesn’t mention her at all.”

Akuma, for what might’ve been the fifth time since coming to Suna, mentally cursed himself. He knew because Lady Sakura herself told it to him as a bedtime story since he was a baby! He quickly came up with an excuse. “I was an assistant nurse to Lord Seventh towards the end of his life, he often thought I was a Young Sasuke Uchiha so I was assigned to him to keep him calm during his episodes.” Partial truth.

Kakashi Hatake was taken in by the Uchiha’s and lived with them during his dying years, so he was constantly surrounded by people who could care for him should he accidentally injure himself or get lost in his own head. Years of mental trauma and physical strain had melted his brain to the point of near amnesia, and having a gaggle of pink and black haired youths around made him think he was still a Jonin teacher assigned to Team 7.

The director considered him for a moment, and Akuma kept the straightest face possible. “Alright, tell me the story. How did Lady Sakura enter the picture?”

And so, Akuma told him. “She was there, earlier in the day with Lord Seventh in the hospital. She was visiting Sasuke-sama, and Nandaime-sama saw how excited and reliefed that Sasuke-sama was alright. Lord Seventh and Nandaime-sama said that was the moment they knew Sasuke-sama loved Lady Sakura in return. When she realized there was a fight on the roof, she ran to step between them, hoping they’d stop so they wouldn’t hurt her, and Lord Seventh came to separate them because they were going too fast to stop.”

Lies. Lord Seventh wasn’t even in the room when that happened.

“Interesting…” He hummed quietly, scribbling some notes into his copy of the script before shouting aloud. “Someone get me Sakura-chan!”

He breathed out a soft sigh of relief.

-

“Mr.History Buff wins again.” Sakura hummed with a thin smile, shouldering Akuma as they sat for their break. “If only you hadn’t spoken up this time, I was looking forward to _not_ having to sit in a make-up chair for three hours.”

“Three hours is a little extreme. It was closer to two and a half.” Akuma sighed in return, leaning back in his chair. “Anyways, this was the first time we were on camera together, right? What was it like working with an amateur?”

“Please, I work with armatures all day every day. I’m looking forward to working with you more and more.”

“Comforting.” He chuckled lightly.

“Anyway, your brother and sister, did you meet up with them?”

“Them? Yeah, we had dinner together last night. Its nice catching up with family, considering-“

“That you’ve never been away for so long?” Sakura asked, head tilting slightly. “You’re lucky, my family has never been especially close. My parents live in this city and I haven’t seen them in months.”

“Why’s that?”

“Dunno. They just love working more than their only daughter.”

Akuma’s brow furrowed. “If you wanna talk about work-a-holic parents, I don’t think you’re gonna win this fight.”

“Oooh, so you wanna play the damaged child game?” Sakura laughed, head tilting back. “Okay, let’s do this. My Mom missed by birthday every year since I was seven.”

“My Mom forgot my birthday completely. I thought they were planning a surprize party.”

“I have three brothers and Dad got them all cellphones on their tenth birthdays. I had to wait until I was thirteen and even then Dad made me show him my texts every day to make sure I wasn’t texting boys.”

Akuma laughed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his own phone, a cheap, chipped and slightly cracked phone, and more than six years out of date. “Better strict monitoring than a virus-laden hand-me-down.”

Sakura blinked, amazement on her face as she took hold of his pocket dinosaur. “Whoa, this thing is super crappy. I have an old phone I can give you if you want. I mean, not _this_ old, but certainly newer than this.”

“Nah, I’ve been saving up for a new one anyway. It’s still on a family plan.” Akuma plucked the phone from her hands. “Keep going, your turn.”

“Oh, uhm…Alright, my Dad named me after Lady Sakura Uchiha, you know that right?”

“Yes, yes I do.” Kinda hard not to, really. There was a massive influx of little girls and even little boys named cherry blossom or raman-related names after the war.

“Well, he wanted me to be a medic. He wanted to send me to Konoha and to beg Lady Sakura herself to apprentice me. Well, I went, and I went alone. Instead of going to the Uchiha Compound to beg Lady Sakura, I auditioned for an idol group. I got in, and became the third of Cham Cham Charm. Daddy wasn’t happy, and…now, when I go back, he won’t even look at me. I don’t have a room in my own house anymore, he turned it into an office.”

“Does he know you’re the selling point of a world famous music group? I mean, you’re an incredibly successful performer…”

Sakura sighed deeply, head bowed forward. “Sadly, if I’m not doing honor to Lady Sakura, I may as well be a useless layabout.”

Akuma, filled with a strange sort of big-brotherly protectiveness, wrapped an arm around Sakura’s shoulders, pulling her close. “Okay, you win.” He murmured quietly, squeezing tightly.

She breathed out a soft, shuttery sigh, holding close for a moment, and then pushing away. “Thank you, Akuma-kun. I think I might’ve been holding that in too long!” She laughed, wiping away the wetness at the corner of her eyes.

He smiled slightly, patting her on the head. “Break is almost over, we should get back.”

She nodded slightly in agreement. “Yeah…yeah, let’s.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4

The first three takes of the scene went well. Sakura’s shouts to stop were appropriately heart-wrenching, the camera angles were properly set up, and the choreography was fast-paced and action packed.

The next scene, of both Naruto and Sasuke being thrown into water towers, was being prepared. “Yo, Akuma-kuuuun~!” A make-up artist Akuma had grown to befriend called, waving her hand in the air. “Your phone kept going off like crazy! Your little sister was texting you!”

Sayaka? Akuma reached for the phone, thanking her for keeping it for him as he unlocked it.

**‘Found them. Their hideout is on a series of shipping crates, the kind that go on trains, that’s why nobody could track them for long. They want to hold someone from your production ransom. Keep vigilant, Suna is organizing guards around the movie lot but they might not be enough.’**

Almost instantly, his heart lurched into his throat. If it came down to a fight, he was fairly confident he could win against a fair few, (he had been trained to take out entire platoons in one sweep, after all) but that would mean his training, his skill, would be on display for everyone to see…

His teeth grit. He’d fight if he had to, regardless of his embarrassment. His humiliation was worth far less than everyone elses safety.

He texted back to her. **‘Godspeed, Sayaka-chan. Don’t let them fail.’**

“Akuma!!” Came a loud shout. “Back to set, Akuma!!”

He returned his phone to the makeup artist, jogging back to set.

“Five, four, three,” The director began, before hushing down and mouthing his next words. “two, one, action.”

Kurojiro grabbed both his wrist and the other stunt doubles, tossing them back towards the big blue mats on set, helped slightly by wire strings strapped to their waists.

“CUT!! Akuma, I saw your face!! Back to one, Kurojiro, come here.”

Akuma flopped on the matt, rolling back onto the floor and getting back in position as Kurojiro received direction.

He was thrown five more times, and each time the director kept declaring Akuma’s face kept being seen. It was hardly his fault, his natural movement kept making him want to shift his weight so he’d land on his feet, and it was difficult by-passing that hardwired instinct, and the wire attached to his ass was just knocking him off balance.

“Bring back Sakura-chan.” He sighed after the seventh time. “We’ll change the angle so the camera is behind her and Akuma’s face isn’t in frame.”

Sakura was back on set, the camera moved, and everybody in position. “Kurojiro,” Akuma whispered to his far-taller friend. “I’m going to unattatch the wire, alright? I’ll be heavier but I’ll be able to move better. Don’t call attention to it.”

“Izzat zooo~?” Drawled Kurojiro, head tilting back and forth. “Let’s do this then.”

Akuma was ready, focused hard as he kept a firm eye on his center of gravity. He had to fling himself just right to make it look like it was Kurojiro tossing him, and to land in the correct spot in the correct position. His wrist was in Kuro’s tight hold, and Sakura was just in front of the camera.

“Five, four, three,” The director began, falling into a hush. “Two, one-“

There was a loud crash from above, and harsh Suna sunlight filled the set, as well as dust and falling debris, and disgusting-smelling smoke filling the room. A poison smoke to confuse and slow pursuers. 

Instinct again won over Akuma’s senses, sharingan colouring his inky black eyes just as he felt his feet forcibly lift off the ground and wire-traps wrap around his wrists and ankles, a second later a loud, familiar shriek echoing across the empty air.

He and Sakura were being kidnapped.


	5. Chapter 5

He didn’t move, he didn’t scream. He let himself be taken and be slung over someone’s shoulder. Sakura, on the other hand, kept squirming and yelling as they were moved. They thought he was Kurasuwa, and the other stunt double had been tied down by the wire. It was only they two.

He could see her through the rush as they were carried out and away from the set, with Jonin and other studio guards hot on their tail. The kidnappers, however, were causing distruction as they ran, causing sets to topple and harm studio hands to get hurt. Soon, they would have to stop and help the injured, and figure out their predicament later.

And, soon, they did. Running across the rooftops of Suna, then through empty alley ways, and finally onto train tracks that were leading out and away from the city limits. They jumped onto one of the open carts, tossing him and then a sobbing Sakura, before jumping on themselves.

As expected, they were not happy when they realized that he was not Kurasuwa. They kicked him hard while he was tied down, and then threw him into a small cell with Sakura, where they couldn’t stand and were unbearably close, chest to chest.

“Sakura-chan should be enough. She’s famous and the studio isn’t going to cut her off.” Grunted one of their kidnappers, slamming the cell shut. “We can toss in the nobody as an example of what we’ll do to Sakura if they don’t comply. Start setting up the livefeed, we need to get this done soon.”

Sakura was trembling, pressed against Akuma’s chest as he listened intently. “A-akuma…What do we do?” She whispered fervently, head bowed low as tears of absolute fear streaked down her cheeks. He could hear it, some barely noticeable radio feedback from a microphone. The kidnappers were listening in. “Y-you were a shinobi, r-right? You can get us out of this.”

Akuma was in the middle of a plan, and whispered softly to her. “Shh, Sakura. Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sakura. In a hostage situation, you have to stay calm, do as they say. We’ll get out of this. You need to be strong.” That would calm their kidnappers, his reassuring her to do as told. They wouldn’t treat her roughly, he hoped. “Keep your eyes closed, and don’t open them until I say so.”

Her trembling didn’t stop in the slightest, but she nodded and pressed closer. “A-alright…S-Sasuke…kun.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6

“T-they took her, h-him and a stunt double!!” The director was shrieking to the Jonin in attendance. “Y-you have to go find her!!”

“Which stunt double was this?” Asked Seiji, notebook out. “Do you know his name?”

“Akaharu no Akuma.” Kurojiro said, stepping closer to the Uchiha. “You may know him, he said he was Lord Seventh’s attending nurse and was a Konoha Jonin for a while.”

“Aku…ma?” Seiji said the name softly, putting his notebook away as his head tilted down slightly. “I see…”

“Not to worry, we’re sending out assault teams as we speak. They will be returned immediately.” Assured one Suna shinobi.

“No,” Said Seiji firmly. “That isn’t necessary.”

“Uchiha-sa-“

“We do know him, Akuma-san,” Sayaka said, interrupting the Suna Nin. “He trained under our mother for quite some time before he decided to become an actor. You won’t be needing assault teams, you’ll need a cleanup crew and some body bags.”

Thick silence hung like a cloud, before the Suna nin requested a cleanup crew to meet him outside the lot through his radio.

Sayaka and Seiji moved along, sitting on the now-ruined set as the extras and crew members evacuated. “How do you think he’s going to take it?” Asked Seiji quietly, flopping onto one of the big blue safety mats, looking up at the giant hole made by the kidnappers.

“Suizen is going to be fine. It’s Akuma I’m worried about.” Sayaka replied, curling up slightly. “You know how much he hated being a shinobi, and having to fight while pursuing his real dream…It must feel like the world is ending. All this effort and sacrifice just to end up back where he began, in a fight…”

-

He fell to his knees, pushed there by one of the kidnappers. He heard them speaking, but everything felt as if he were underwater, muffled and distant as his heart thundered hard, which wasn’t helped by the blindfold they’d forced on him. They’d been filming the hospital scene, he had no shoes, no weapons, not even the fake plastic ones that would only bruise. He had to be fast, he had to be vicious.

Beside him, he could sense her. Sakura was there, but not for long.

They were speaking. ‘To the Studio’ ‘ransom for’ ‘if not, this will happen to Sakura-chan’. Beside him, she was shaking, trembling and begging the studio to pay her ransom, before being lifted and carried away.

Before she left, she begged them to please reconsider, that she herself would pay any ransom they asked for ‘Sasuke’, only to be audibly slapped into silence and dragged back to her cage.

He heard the door pull open, and the harsh sunlight, wind and heat of the Suna dessert was on his back. They’d opened the door.

He felt them push, throwing him out the door.

Behind his back, he signed quickly (using one handed signs), making a chidori in his hands and burning off the rope that bound both his ankles and his wrists just as he was lifted and forced off. He began to fall, to the ground bellow, and he reached out to stick to the side of the train car, forcing his lower half to swing, getting one foot on the train floor and forcing himself back in. Still blind-folded, he grabbed onto the nearest chakra signature, pulling hard and forcing them to fall out of the train. Distantly, he heard a hard splat.

He pulled the blindfold off, his sharingan a bright ruby red as he lashed out, kicking the person behind the camera and forcing his head to connect with the hard, ungiving metal behind him. Attackers were rushing at him, but he was faster and stronger than this fraction of gangsters.

One rushed to punch him and try to send him back, only for Suizen to grab his fist, pull, and flip him out the train car. Another tried to stab him mid-flip, only for Suizen to move very slightly and get the knife to slice into the other person’s back, he turned and slammed the flat of his hand, the part between his pinkie and his wrist, into his neck, causing the taller to fall to his knees, where Suizen punched his throat.

His esophagus collapsed, and he was left gasping for air as he looked up at the boy ‘playing’ Sasuke.

His eyes, red as rubies, hair stuck back, with a cold and angry sneer. “U-uchiha…Sasuke Uchiha…” He gasped, attempting to alert the others, though his voice was far too quiet.

Suizen grabbed hold of his shirt, dragging him to the door and tossing him out.

He looked back, and saw the camera and laptop. Taking it in hand, he crushed it, and stepped on the laptop too. These bastards wouldn’t be alerting anyone.

He went to the back of the car, opening the door to where Sakura-chan was being held, picking up a kunai from the floor as he passed by the camera man’s corpse.

There, two men were guarding her. They heard his approach, and turned to the door as he opened it. Now with knife in hand, he deflected the weapons thrown at his head, rushing forward and jumping up, kicking with both feet so his back was closest to the ground, and pushing the first guard into the second.

He leaned back, landing on his hand and flipping so he was on all fours. He rushed forward, leaping onto the first and stabbing at his throat with the knife, pulling it back to slash across his throat, and then swinging it again to cut into the neck of the second guard.

In the cage, Sakura-chan was quiet, still bound and with her eyes still closed, splashed with the blood of her guardmen.

Suizen looked down, realizing that the entirety of his right arm was covered in gore, and his face was wet with it too. “Sakura, I’m here.” He said softly, reaching for the cage.

“Sasu-“ She began, about to look up at him.

“Shh, shh. Keep your eyes closed, don’t look.” He instructed her, grabbing hold of the padlock and pulling hard, snapping it off and forcing the cage to open.

“Y-you…? Are they…gone…?” She asked shakily as she was gently pulled out and sat up.

Suizen began to slice off her bindings. “Yeah, Sakura. They’re gone, we’ll be gone soon too, I promise. Just…please, don’t open your eyes.”

“I…I can smell it…Oh god, there’s blood, isn’t there? A-a lot of it…”

Suizen was quiet for a moment, chest clenched tight. “Hn.” He replied, letting her wrap her arms around his neck, even if the position made cutting the rope around her ankles a little harder.

“P-please, Sasuke…please take care of me…I-I can’t breathe, I’m…I’m so scared…” She begged, fresh tears running down her face. The blood had gotten on her as well, and her tears cut lines through the stains on her cheeks.

He held her tighter, standing and lifting her in his arms. “I’ve got you, don’t worry.” He promised, carrying her away from the sight of his murders and to the open space, where the cars were connected and in the open space. He sat down there, in the gap, with Sakura still in his hold.

He put her under a gentle genjutsu, forcing her to sleep as the train continued onwards. Less than twenty minutes later, it came to a screeching halt and the footsteps of various Suna nin could be heard, going through every shipping container.

Suizen stepped out, with Sakura in his arms and covered with slowly drying blood. He handed her to the nearest medic, and left the cleanup crews to their work. He was given a spare set of shoes, a shirt and pants to replace the flimsy costume he had on, and taken back on a police trolley with Sakura, which ran on the train tracks as well.

He was silent most of the ride, allowing the medics to mend cuts and wounds he hadn’t realized he’d gotten in his adrenaline-fueled rage.

The trolley stopped a ways before the station, as Suizen was still noticeably covered in dried blood, and he was escorted to the police station where he was allowed to shower before giving his statement.

He answered their questions as concisely and as clearly as he could. “Yes, it was me who killed all the gangers on board. Yes, I was aware of their existence and the possibility that they would come for Sakura-san. No, I didn’t plan to be kidnapped with her.”

The policewomen wrote down his words after every question, and at the end turned the page over to him. “Sign your full, legal name here, agreeing that everything written is as you said it.”

He glanced over the writing, before signing his name at the bottom and handing it back.

“Uchiha Suizen?” Asked the police officer with a small note of skepticism.

He looked up at the woman, eyes flashing red. “Is there a problem, officer?”

She didn’t noticeably shift posture, but she did move to stand. “Alright, thank you for your time.”

“Is Sakura-san alright?” He asked quietly.

“She’s in the hospital right now, but other than some mild shock, she seems to be fine.” The policewoman answered. “You may leave when you’re ready, your siblings are outside waiting.”

Good, he needed a break after all this havoc.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 7

They were standing outside, sandy cloaks still on with their hood pulled up, guarding them against the growing chill and wind of the dessert night. They held his own cloak and his things from the set, handing them to him without a word.

“How’s everything?” He asked, pulling the cloak over his shoulders.

“The set is going to be rebuilt, and a good few minutes of the ransom livefeed did make it to the web.” Said Sayaka, starting down the path away from the police station. “News castors are suggesting it might’ve been a publicity stunt because-“

“Because she called me Sasuke, yeah.” He sighed deeply. “And they got my face with the sharingan on camera, right?”

“Yeah, now the entire internet is blowing up. They think Kurasuwa-san was a smokescreen and you’re actually playing Papa.” Said Seiji, a step behind his older brother. “It might be your big break, Onii-chan.”

“It’s a pain in my damn ass is what it is!” Snapped Suizen. “I didn’t want a damn career handed to me!! I wanted to have something that was mine and mine alone that I didn’t have to thank Mom or Dad for!!”

The younger siblings went quiet, and Suizen’s teeth grit hard. “I…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be yelling at you because the world wants to go against my wishes. Do you know when the next train back home is?”

“Tomorrow afternoon, one PM.” Answered Sayaka, looping her arm around her brothers in some small semblance of comfort. “We have an entire cabin reserved for us, thanks to Kazekage-sama.”

“Onii-chan,” Seiji grabbed hold of his sleeve. “Let’s go eat, I’m hungry.”

The feeling of his little siblings so close, pestering him and reassuring him, was a small comfort. His own life might be in chaos, but if he could take care of them…It was a spot of calm in a sea at storm. Simple, easy, doable.

He reached down, and lifted Sayaka to his shoulder and patting Seiji’s back. “I’m hungry too. I’m feeling like taiyaki, two bowls of raman and at least four cans of soda.”

Sayaka laughed slightly. “You’re gonna get fat eating like that, Onii-chan!”

“Maybe…” He hummed, a thin smile on his face.

\--

The morning after, Suizen went to visit Sakura in the hospital. She was still very out of it, the nurses didn’t say why but a quick glance at her papers on the clipboard said a lot.

She had been having severe night terrors that resulted in screaming, clawing and some very injured nurses, and was heavily sedated until they could calm her sufficiently.

He left her a note. He would be going home for a while, he didn’t know for how long, but she was free to call him if she needed to. Production was halted until further notice, and that she ought to take it easy for a while, and that he was sorry for the shit storm that was coming due to the livestreamed tape that the entire world would use to make her less of a victim.

They left Suna together, arriving home in Konoha late that same evening.


End file.
